The Devils (1971)
The Devils (1971)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently The Devils is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: BFI Player
Streaming in:🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Cast & Crew.
Vanessa Redgrave
Sister Jeanne des Anges
Oliver Reed
Father Urbain Grandier
Dudley Sutton
Baron de Laubardemont
Max Adrian
Ibert
Gemma Jones
Madeleine de Brou
Murray Melvin
Father-Canon Jean Mignon
Michael Gothard
Father Pierre Barre
Georgina Hale
Philippe Trincant
Brian Murphy
Adam
Christopher Logue
Cardinal Richelieu
Graham Armitage
King Louis XIII
John Woodvine
Louis Trincant
Andrew Faulds
Rangier
Kenneth Colley
Legrand
Judith Paris
Sister Agnes (miscredited as Sister Judith)
Catherine Willmer
Sister Catherine
Izabella Telezynska
Sister Iza
Niké Arrighi
Nun (uncredited)
Pat Ashton
Gossiping Woman (uncredited)
Peter Avella
Citizen (uncredited)
Imogen Claire
Nun (uncredited)
Barbie Denham
Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Hugh Elton
Courtier (uncredited)
Harry Fielder
Soldier / Blackbird (uncredited) / Stunts
Selina Gilbert
Nun (uncredited)
Cheryl Grunwald
Vestal Virgin (uncredited)
Charles Price
Soldier (uncredited)
Charles Rayford
Spectator (uncredited)
Jack Sharp
Spectator (uncredited)
Tina Simmons
Nun (uncredited)
Doremy Vernon
Nun (uncredited)
Twiggy
Pageboy (uncredited)
Donald Campbell
Spectator (uncredited)
Justin de Villeneuve
Courtier (uncredited)
Fred Peck
Spectator (uncredited)
Tony Allen
Spectator / Clerk of Court (uncredited)
Ken Russell
Director / Screenplay / Producer
Ian Whittaker
Set Dresser
Harry Benn
Production Controller
Alan Tomkins
Assistant Art Director
Tiny Nicholls
Wardrobe Supervisor
Leslie Dilley
Assistant Art Director
Terry Apsey
Construction Manager
Ramon Gow
Hair Supervisor / Hairstylist
Tony Strong
Scenic Artist
Bryn Siddall
Property Buyer
Aldous Huxley
Novel
Robert H. Solo
Producer
Michael Bradsell
Editor
Derek Jarman
Production Design
Roy Baird
Associate Producer
David Watkin
Director of Photography
Peter Maxwell Davies
Original Music Composer / Conductor
David Munrow
Music Arranger / Music Director
Ann Skinner
Continuity
George Ball
Property Master
Ronnie Taylor
Camera Operator
John Whiting
Theatre Play
Shirley Russell
Costume Design
Robert Cartwright
Art Direction
Gordon K. McCallum
Sound Mixer
John Hayward
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Charles E. Parker
Makeup Artist
Robin Browne
Second Unit Director of Photography
Geoff Freeman
Unit Publicist
Brian Simmons
Sound Mixer
Peter Brayham
Stunts
John Swan
Electrician
Tim Wake
Carpenter
John Richardson
Special Effects
Terry Rawlings
Sound Editor
Colin Arthur
Assistant Makeup Artist
Media.
Details.
Release DateJuly 16, 1971
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 54m
Content RatingR
Budget$2,000,000
Box Office$11,000,000
Filming LocationsPinewood Studios, United Kingdom
Genres
Last updated:
This Movie Is About.
Wiki.
The Devils is a 1971 historical psychological horror-drama film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell, and starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. A dramatised historical account of the fall of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Roman Catholic priest accused of witchcraft after the possessions in Loudun, France, the plot also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Anges, a sexually repressed nun who incites the accusations.
A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, The Devils is in part adapted from the 1952 non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley, as well as John Whiting's subsequent 1960 play The Devils. United Artists initially pitched the idea to Russell but bowed out after reading his finished screenplay, as they felt it was too controversial in nature. Warner Bros. agreed to produce and distribute, and filming largely took place at Pinewood Studios in late 1970.
The film's graphic portrayal of violent and sexual content, often combined with religion, ignited harsh reaction from censors, and it originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was banned in several countries, and heavily edited for exhibition in others. Although critics largely dismissed the film for its explicit content, it won awards for Best Director at the 33rd Venice International Film Festival, as well as from the U.S. National Board of Review. Although a restoration of Russell's director's cut of The Devils was given its first theatrical release in the UK in 2002, this version has not been made officially available on home media, and releases of edited versions of the film on DVD and streaming services remain scant.
Film scholarship primarily focuses on themes of sexual repression and political corruption. The Devils has been recognized as one of the most controversial films of all time by numerous publications and critics, and remained banned in Finland until 2001.